How Much is that Hell Hound in the Window?
by Moonfairyhime
Summary: AU-When the hell hounds came to collect Dean's soul, they found someone much more interesting: Sam. NEW CHAPTER: In a way, Sam thought sadly, the hell puppies reminded Sam of himself. Just looking for a little understanding and a little love.
1. And so it begins

Title: How Much is that Hell Hound in the Window?  
Author: Moonfairyhime  
Rating: T  
Disclaimer: I don't own the lovely Winchester boys.  
Characters: Sam and Dean  
Summary: Based upon the prompt from the lj community sammessiah : Sam is unexpectedly able to stop the crossroads demon from collecting Dean's soul because her hellhounds are more interested in obeying / adoring / getting belly-rubs from Sam than her.  
Feedback: Please and thank you.  
Author's Notes: I'm the Queen of Crack and I'm probably going to hell. One or two _Good Omens_ references are dropped because I just couldn't not have a hell hound named Dog and one named Agnes Nutter 'cause it set up a beautiful pun. Hugs and kisses to thegirlisfrail and wildcatlizzie for their fantastic beta jobs. Any remaining mistakes are all mine.

* * *

Dean's year was up. He was resigned to his fate and ready to go. He had tried to get Sam out of the motel room for the night, but his brother wasn't budging. Dean only hoped that the Crossroads Demon's hell hounds had enough kindness in their hearts that they'd wait to take him until Sam needed to use the bathroom to get rid of the coffee he drank during the last ditch effort research Sam was doing on how to save Dean's soul. Dean decided to try one last time to get his brother to leave.

"Sammy, let it go. Everything is going to be okay." Dean said. "Really, you should go out for a little while. Take a walk, get some fresh air…"

Sam's glare stopped Dean from finishing his sentence and the sound of howling stopped Sam from saying anything else. Before they could grab any weapons to protect themselves, the one hound broke down the door. He sauntered inside with two slightly smaller dogs following him. They all sniffed the air and at once, turned to face Dean. They growled at Dean and two of them took one step closer, fire igniting where they put their paws. The third hound, however, sniffed the air again, and let out a joyful bark. The other two turned to her, clearly having "what the hell?" looks on their face. The third hound barked at Sam before leaping at him. Sam, completely shocked by this turn of events, was tackled to the ground by the hell hound. The hell hound began to lick Sam's face happily and the other two ran over to Sam and began licking his face as well.

Dean paused and then summed up the entire situation perfectly. "Well, I wasn't expecting that."

It took Dean a full five minutes to get the hell hounds off Sam (damn things kept trying to bite him, but they weren't trying to drag him off to hell, so Dean guessed that it was plus) and to help his brother off the floor. Sam then retreated to the bathroom as the coffee had caught up with him, while the three hell hounds sat patiently outside the door and waited for Sam to open it. When Sam came out, the three dogs _bowed _as he walked past them. When he sat down on the bed, the three hell hounds sat patiently at his feet, seemingly awaiting his next command. Sam looked at Dean, completely lost.

Dean rubbed his forehead. It was going to be a long night. Dean looked his bed and decided that it could wait until the morning as the hell hounds didn't seem ready to drag him off to hell anytime soon. In fact, they just seemed ready for an iota of affection from Sam. Sam just looked a little lost but seemed just as tired and ready for bed as Dean.

"We'll figure this out in the morning, Sammy."

* * *

When Dean woke up the next morning, he awoke to the sound of the hell hounds growling at something and someone yelling at Sam. When Dean rolled over, grabbing his gun in the process, he took a second to assess the situation. Hell hounds in the motel room: not normal. Sam being choked: sadly, normal. A woman in a slinky black dress choking his brother: really not normal. Dean cocked the gun and growled at the woman, "What the hell are you doing, lady?"

Black eyes stared at Dean. "Your brother did something to my hounds. I want them back! I can't collect this deal without them." She turned her attention back to Sam and slammed him down into the bed and Sam gasped. "Now, damn you!"

Dean kept the shotgun trained on the woman. "I thought Sam shot your ass."

The demon shrugged at Dean. "That was my older… sister. I believe that's what you humans would call her. Anyhow, there's always a back-up in case something should happen to the main soul-collecting demon, and I was the back-up." She then turned her attention back to Sam and redoubled her efforts to kill him.

The hell hounds must have made a decision for themselves because the biggest one leapt at the woman, knocking her off Sam and the bed. The other two leapt as well and then vicious growling and snapping was heard. When a flame shot out of the mass of demonic beings, Dean lunged across the gap between the beds and pulled Sam off his bed. Sam panted heavily and rested his head against his brother's shoulder. "Dean... What's going on?"

Before Dean could answer, a woman's scream was heard and then… absolute silence. The brothers then heard the hell hounds panting before one of them, with an arm in his mouth, trotted towards where Sam and Dean sat on the floor. He then dropped the arm by Sam's feet and sat down, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. The other two joined him and Sam absentmindedly reached out to pet one of them.

Dean didn't care if it was only six in the morning. He was way too sober to deal with this. He thought about going to the Impala and getting out the emergency stash of beer but decided it would be better to go back to sleep.

* * *

When Dean woke up again, a few thoughts crossed his mind. First of all, he wasn't dead. He opened his eyes and did the routine check of the room: gun under one pillow and knife under the other: check. Line of salt around bed: check. Little brother asleep in the other bed: check. Hell hounds curled around little brother: che… wait a minute. 

"Sammy!" Dean yelled.

Sam jolted awake and the hell hounds growled at Dean for waking Sam. "What, Dean?"

"Why are those things still here?"

Sam stared at the one that seemed to be the leader of the hounds. Dean was a bit unnerved as it the two apparently communicated. It ended with the hell hound _nodding _and Sam smiled. "I think they want to belong to me. Don't you guys?"

All three hell hounds nodded eagerly. Sam smiled again and the smallest one rolled over and Sam scratched its stomach. Sam's eyes turned dark for a minute, but when Dean blinked, Sam's eyes appeared to be normal. "You're not going to hell, Dean. The minute they choose me over her, your deal, and a few others, I'm sure, became invalid. Who knew that a Crossroad Demon's power lay with the hell hounds and not the actual demon?"

"So, I'm not going to hell." It was more of a statement then a question.

"Right."

"The hell hounds want you to be their new… master." Once again, it was a statement, not a question.

"Looks that way, doesn't it guys?" Sam asks. The hell hounds panted eagerly and began to head butt Sam. When Dean went to stop them, the hounds once again growled at him. He frowned and sat back down. Sam patted the hell hounds with a grin on his face and the hell hounds all appeared happy to be near Sam. Dean could already see how attached Sam was getting to the hell hounds and he had no question about how attached the hell hounds were when it came to Sam.

"Dude, you're not keeping them."

Four sets of eyes stared sadly at Dean. "Dean, why not?"

Dean took a step closer to Sam and one of the hell hounds growled. When Dean took a step backwards, the hell hound stopped growling. "That's one reason."

"Adam, behave." Sam said and the dog looked contrite. "They'll get use to you."

Dean disregarded the last comment and focused on the first thing Sam said. "Sam, you named it?"

"Him, actually. I named them all. He's Adam, the one on my right is Dog, and this lovely lady is Agnes Nutter." Sam said, petting Agnes Nutter. Her red eyes glowed in distinct pleasure.

Dean paused. "You're nutters."

"Dean, I promise you. I'll take good care of them and they won't scratch up the Impala or do their business in it. And I don't think we could get rid of them, anyhow."

Sam and the hell hounds once again stared at Dean, all looking like angels. Dean sighed and then paused. The hell hounds would look after Sam and they did always want a dog when they were little. At least these ones wouldn't shit on the seats. And Sam was probably right; they couldn't get rid of them and Dean really didn't want to consider the exact reason why the hell hounds attached themselves to his little brother. Sam didn't seem particularly concerned either, so Dean decided to take the high road on this one.

"Fine."


	2. Part Deux

Title: The Five People Sam Introduced His New Pets To  
Author: Moonfairyhime  
Rating: T  
Disclaimer: I don't own the lovely Winchester boys.  
Characters: Sam and Dean  
Summary: The five people that Sam introduced his hell hounds to.  
Feedback: Please and thank you.  
Author's Notes: Thank you to the ever lovely wildcatlizzie for her beta job.

* * *

**Dean **

So, at first, Dean was a bit surprised that his brother had hell hounds, but he was getting used to them. Agnes Nutter was fun to play with, even if she did always want to be cuddled with. She was so besotted with Sam, and Dean made Sam happy, so Agnes Nutter was fine with Dean. Adam wasn't bad; in fact, he kind of reminded Dean of himself. Adam was overprotective of Sam to the point of insanity, so he and Dean had bonded over their mutual interest in Sam's safety. Dog, however… Dog had taken to sitting behind him in the Impala and growling at Dean whenever he so much as breathed wrong. And he never did it loud enough that Sam could hear it. Whenever Dean called Dog on it, Sam thought he was making trouble again. Damn hell hound…

Well, Dean was getting used to two of them at least. Maybe he could buy Dog's tolerance with doggie treats. Or human arms. They seemed to like playing fetch with them well enough.

**Ruby **

When Ruby saw the three hell hounds sitting at Sam's feet, she smiled and walked closer to the so-called Boy King.

"Oh, Sammy… What have we here?"

Sam looked up from the book he was reading. "Hello, Ruby."

Agnes Nutter and Dog both growled slightly at Ruby before turning their attention back to Sam. Adam, however, watched them carefully, awaiting his Master's instruction on what to do. He didn't like the blonde haired woman.

"Are you closer to accepting your true destiny, Sam?"

"No, not really. The dogs just like me, that's all. I kind of have that affect on people and animals." With that, Sam turned his attention back to the book.

Ruby just smiled. 'Oh, Sam, if only you knew…'

As she walked away, Adam nipped at her heels. Sam frowned at him, but Adam ignored it. In Adam's opinion, Ruby needed to be reminded of what she was dealing with.

**Agent Henricksen**

When the boys (and hell hounds) ran into Agent Henricksen again, he only had a five second introduction to the dogs. Sam saw him raise a gun towards Dean and Sam said two words to his hell hounds…

"Sic him."

The last thing Agent Henricksen ever saw was the red eyes of the hell hounds light up joyously as they leapt to do their master's command.

**Bobby**

"Sam, those aren't dogs, dammit! They're hell hounds!"

"Yes, Bobby."

"They're probably buying their time until they can drag you and your brother in to hell."

"Yes, Bobby."

"You named them, didn't you, Sam?"

"Yes, Bobby."

"Dammit, Sam!"

"They like your cooking, Bobby."

"…Well, they can't be all bad, then."

**Bela **

With Bela, the boys learned a very important lesson. Agnes Nutter did not like being called Agnes and she _really _didn't like being called Aggie. Agnes Nutter may be the smallest of the hell hounds, but she packed a wallop when she pushed you into a mud puddle.

Well, to be fair, Bela deserved it. She had tricked Agnes Nutter's Beloved Master and the Other One into helping her steal something. Upon meeting the hell hounds, she assumed they were just mangy old strays. Then Agnes Nutter found out that Bela had shot her Beloved Master. It went downhill rather quickly for Bela in the opinion of all the hell hounds. Then, when Bela knelt down and said, in a sugary voice, "Come here, Agnes… Here, Aggie… I just want to pet you." Agnes Nutter figured that pushing her into a mud puddle was good enough retribution.

For now, at least.


	3. You Ain't Nothing but a Hell Hound

Title: You Ain't Nothing but a Hell Hound  
Author: Moonfairyhime  
Rating: T  
Disclaimer: I don't own the lovely Winchester boys.  
Summary: Three 100 word drabbles about how each of the hell hounds feel about their new life.  
Feedback: Please and thank you.  
Author's Notes: This is merely to tide you all over until I finish the longer fic I have in progress. Title sort of stolen from Elvis. These are unbeta'ed.

* * *

**Dog **

Sam was the most important person to Dog. Ever. Sam was the first and only person to give him a name. The Crossroads Demon just called him "You" on good days, and on bad days, well… Dog didn't like to think about that. Sam cared enough to give him a name and to make sure that he always had a fresh arm to play with. Sam would brush him whenever needed.

Sam honestly loved Dog and it wasn't because Dog would do his bidding. Sam loved Dog because he was Dog. And Dog loved Sam.

It's as simple as that.

**Adam **

Like Dog, Adam loved Sam. But Adam knew that his love and protectiveness for Sam wasn't because of Sam's kindness, it was out of duty. He understood Sam because Sam was his master, that was all. It was the same way with the Crossroads Demon; he was duty bound to serve her, so he did. It would be the same for the master after Sam, although that pained Adam for reasons he was not yet willing to contemplate.

As Sam carefully tended Adam's paw after a hunt, Adam began to contemplate those feelings, beginning to believe in love _and _duty.

**Agnes Nutter**

As far as Agnes Nutter was concerned, Sam and Dean were both excellent people. Of course, Sam was her Beloved Master and Dean with the Other One, but they both treated her with kindness. And such kindness, well, Agnes Nutter never expected to see in her life. So, when it all came down to it, she would protect her Beloved Master with her life. She was a simple girl—as long as her Beloved Master was happy, then so was she. And she wasn't above dirty tricks to keep Sam happy.

Hell hath no fury like a protective hell hound.


	4. Back to Hell Where You Belong

Title: Back to Hell (Where You Belong)  
Author: Moonfairyhime  
Rating: T  
Disclaimer: I don't own the lovely Winchester boys.  
Characters: Sam, Dean, two original Demons, and the Hell Hounds  
Summary: "Are you sure he's the Boy King? I thought the Boy King would be more intimidating and not have, you know, dimples."  
Feedback: Please and thank you.  
Author's Notes: Thanks to the ever wonderful wildcatlizzie for her beta job and for talking me through part of this fic. The title is sort of from the lyrics of Flogging Molly's "Salty Dog" (I changed the "from" to a "to).

* * *

Sam Winchester was very confused and he didn't like being confused. Not about himself anyhow—he had given up trying to understand his brother.

Against all logic, Sam's gifts had come back. This had started off slow. Well, small meaning Sam was cold one night and manifested fire into his hand _and didn't get burned_. After freaking out for a full minute about what was going on (and scaring his hell hounds half to death), Sam took a deep breath and began to objectively study what was going on. After studying the flame for a while, the only conclusion Sam could come up with was that he was screwed. Sam also managed to move small objects with his telekinesis, which he discovered when Dog wanted to play with a particularly bloody arm that Sam didn't want to touch. One minute he was refusing Dog, the next minute the arm was flying through the air. Sam kept trying to figure out how to tell Dean about this, but he just wasn't sure how to phrase it. He was pretty sure that lighting his hand on fire would not be the way to do it. So Sam decided that while he was figuring out how to tell his brother about all this, it couldn't hurt to try and get control over the powers.

All the while, the hell hounds watched, pleased and ever eager to help their master.

* * *

Sam sighed as he looked out the motel window and wondered, not for the first time, what exactly Pride meant when he called Sam the Boy King; what Ruby meant when she called him the Anti-Christ. Agnes Nutter, sensing her beloved master's distress, put her head on Sam's knee and immediately demanded his attention. Sam smiled at his hell hound, scratched her ear, and then threw Dog's favorite arm for him to catch. A knock at the door caught Sam's attention. Adam, who was lying by the door, began to growl. Dog and Agnes Nutter both stood up, hackles raised.

"Enough, guys. Dean probably called and had some food delivered." Sam said as he walked towards the door.

Opening the door was the last thing Sam remembered doing for a while.

* * *

"Are you sure he's the Boy King? I thought the Boy King would be more intimidating and not have, you know, dimples."

"Hush! Our place is not to question the Great Ones. He is the Boy King, our Anti-Christ, from the Prophecy of Vassago. The hell hounds seemed quiet taken with him."

"Those mutts? They'd follow anyone with any decent demonic… power. Oh. _Oh_. Do you think, when he wakes up, I should apologize to him for hitting his head off the floor?"

"Couldn't hurt."

* * *

When Dean returned from the morgue, he paused outside the motel door. It was too quiet in there. Normally, he would hear Sam talking to one of the dogs or on the phone with a lead he found. Nothing. He paused and looked around before carefully unlocking the door.

The room was in the same condition as it was when Dean left with only one thing missing: Sam. Dean blinked when he realized the hell hounds were sitting in the bathroom, appearing over anxious to get out. The hell hounds appeared overjoyed to see Dean, but when Sam did not appear behind him, they immediately went back to appearing nervous and worried.

Dean got a good look at the hounds. "What's wrong, guys? Did Sam fall down a well or something? And why are you all crowded in the bathroom?"

The hell hounds seemed to converse with each other and Dean once again wondered where his little brother was. Sam always knew what was going on his hell hounds. Agnes Nutter barked once to get Dean's attention before demonstrating why they were all stuck in the bathroom. She daintily walked towards the door. When she got to the door, some invisible force not only stopped her from leaving, but threw the smallest hell hound into the bath tub. She whined softly. Dean was immediately worried about Sam.

"Guys, what was it?" Dean wasn't sure now if he was more worried about Sam or his sanity. He and the dogs didn't hate one another per se it was more like they both knew they were important in Sam's life and were trying to continually one up each other in Sam's eyes. Dean and the hell hounds sort of tolerated each other when Sam was around, but when he wasn't (which wasn't often, granted), they snipped at each other.

The dogs formed a circle and seemed to communicate with each other. They then turned to Dean and Dog barked twice.

Dean frowned. "It was two guys who took Sam?"

Dog growled.

"A demon?"

A bark of agreement.

"So two demons took Sam... and locked you in the bathroom. But why?"

Dog and Agnes Nutter shared a look and Adam looked down.

"Well, I guess the first step to getting Sam back is to get you out of there. You can track him, right?" Dean wasn't going to panic as long as the hell hounds could find his brother. He wasn't.

Dog stared at Dean.

"Right, stupid question. Okay then…" Dean paused. "Well, we'll try this first and if it doesn't work, I'll do some research. You guys can come out now."

The hell hounds, all of which had been lying against the barrier, tumbled out of the bathroom. Dean paused. "Huh. Didn't think that would really work."

Agnes Nutter sniffed at the floor, barked joyously, and then ran for the door…

Which Dean had actually closed when he came in, so the little hell hound just ran into it. Well, you can't blame her for being overeager to get her master back. After she got herself righted, she waited not so patiently for Dean to get ready and open the door. Before he opened the door, Dean paused and looked at the hell hounds. "All right, guys. Look, I want to get Sam back as much as you do, but we have to stick together on this one. When I open the door, don't go running off without me…"

Dean paused as Dog took off running, straight through both Dean and the door. "…Forgot you could do that."

Agnes Nutter looked a little sheepish before she stood up. Adam stood next to her and they both looked at Dean. Dean sighed as he opened the door. "Well, at least you two will listen to me."

Adam barked, sadly and Agnes Nutter nodded her head.

Up ahead, Dog was following the trail of the only person that mattered to him: his Sam.

* * *

Sam woke up and found himself tied up. He sighed, a little annoyed at how often this had been happening to him since he joined his brother on the road. When he lived with Jessica, he had only woken up tied up once, and well, that's a whole different story. He opened his eyes and saw two people standing in front of him. However, the term "people" is used lightly since they both had black eyes. Once they noticed Sam awake, the offered him happy, if not creepy, smiles.

"The Boy King awakens!" The demon that spoke was in a male body that had blonde hair.

"Umm... Honorable Boy King, Sir… I just wanted to apologize for hitting your head off the floor. Please accept my apology, my Liege." This was said while the demon bowed many times, brown hair bouncing.

Sam blinked. He wasn't quite sure who he was dealing with. "Who are you?"

The blonde spoke first, his voice full of reverence. "My Liege, my name is Gilt."

"And I'm Ziggerfus. However, Boy King, you may call me Ziggy." The tone of Ziggy's voice told Sam that not many people were given this dubious honor.

"What do you want with me?" Sam asked, realizing the demons had tied him up with rope.

"Boy King," Ziggy paused, "I am allowed to call you 'Boy King', right?"

Sam shrugged. "Whatever."

Ziggy turned to Gilt, "I didn't think that the Anti-Christ would use the word 'whatever'. However," Ziggy said, turning his attention back to Sam, "Lord, we do not want anything from you, per se. We merely want to bask in your glory…"

Sam absentmindedly wondered if they could "bask in his glory" without having him tied up. He also thought that sounded a little porny, but chalked that up to being around his brother too much.

"…and we want you to destroy a few cities. Bring about the true End Times!" Ziggy started to laugh manically, but soon began to cough. He looked put-out. "Dammit, I should have known better then to steal the meat suit of a smoker."

Gilt nodded in front of Sam. "My Liege, pay no mind to the imbecile. We are merely here to make sure that you understand your destiny. We aren't here to make you bring about the End Times…"

Sam decided that he kind of liked Gilt.

"…well, at least not yet."

Sam scratched that thought. He went back to concentrating on the rope that tied his wrists together. He fought off a triumphant grin as he felt the rope begin to get warm.

"However, my Liege, we are here to let you know that you have our allegiance in the upcoming battle. Many demons will not side with you for you are young and… _mortal_," Gilt spit the word out as if it were diseased, "However, I am here to assure you that Ziggerfus and I and many other demons will be on your side. You will reign in Hell as it was prophesied so long ago!"

Sam decided that was quite enough, thankyouverymuch. The rope around his wrists had burned all the way through and, with a simple thought, he threw the two demons into the wall. He thought about saying something about how they must be on demonic crack or some such thing, but instead, he ran out the door, mentally calling for his hell hounds, sure they would hear him.

* * *

Dean had finally managed to catch up to Dog when he suddenly stopped. Dean slammed on the breaks so fast that he apologized to the Impala. Agnes Nutter and Adam both had their heads cocked before they ran out of the car and joined Dog. The three took off running and Dean swore as he started to follow them in the Impala.

"Those damn dogs of yours better be leading me to you, Sammy or else I'm getting them fixed," Dean swore under his breath as he kept up with the hell hounds.

* * *

Dean and the hell hounds noticed Sam sitting on the side of the road at the same time, apparently waiting for them. As Dean parked the Impala, the dogs eagerly attacked their master with licks.

"Sammy?"

Sam looked up at his brother. "Hey, Dean."

"Are you okay? What happened to you?"

"I'm fine, Dean," Sam said as he scratched behind Agnes Nutter's ear, "I was kidnapped by two demons. They didn't hurt me or anything."

"How did you get free?"

"Would you believe me if I said they just let me go?" Sam looked hopeful, _too _hopeful.

Dean didn't even have to think about that one. "No. What happened, Sam?" Sam paused and Dean amended his question, "The truth, Sam."

Sam looked at his brother before looking at down the road. "They think I'm destined to be the Boy King of Hell, and I think they might be right and I may have used my powers to get free."

Dean paused, thought about what his little brother said, and counted to ten. He then decided that ten wasn't high enough and continued counting until he hit one hundred.

"Dean?"

"Were you ever gonna tell me those little pieces of information, Sammy?"

Dog growled at Dean's tone and Sam hushed the dog with a look. "Eventually."

Dean decided right then and there that if he ever died of a heart attack, he was so coming back and haunting Sammy.

Sam sighed. "Dean, I wanted to tell you. I really did. But how the hell was I supposed to start the conversation? 'Hey, Dean, some demonic chick told me I was the Anti-Christ. Could you pass the salt, please?' or how about 'Hey, Dean, while you're out, could you pick me up some new socks? Mine all combusted while I was practicing with my powers.'?"

"So that's why you needed new socks," Dean said, "You told me they went to the Sock Zone."

Sam didn't bother to reply to his brother.

Dean sat down next to his brother and ignored Dog as he began to growl at him. "Sam, you should have told me. I'm not mad," At Sam's look, Dean amended his statement, "Not that mad, but dammit, Sam. How am I supposed to protect you from demons carting you off 'cause they think you're the Demon Messiah? While we're at it, what kind of powers do you have? Did the visions come back?"

"Not really," Sam said, "It's different this time. I actually have control over them."

"Them? As in more than one?"

"That's generally what the term 'them' refers to, Dean." Sam sighed. "All right. You see that tree flower over there?" Dean nodded and the next second the flower went up in flames. Sam blinked and the fire went out. One very crispy daisy was all that was left from Sam's display of power. Dean opened his mouth, but Sam held up a finger. The daisy was uprooted and thrown in the air.

"And that's all?" Dean said.

"All? Dean, I can light things on fire and move things—_all with the power of my mind_. Not to mention I can control three hell hounds." Agnes Nutter whined at Sam's tone and he absently petted her. Dog and Adam were carefully watching Dean and Dean had the impression that if he screwed up this conversation, he wasn't going to live long enough to apologize.

"Sammy, it's just like when you got the visions; when you got these mutts." Dog growled, but Dean ignored him. "We'll adapt. We're Winchesters, it's what we do. At least you have control over these powers—we can use them and you won't get hurt."

Sam was about to say something when someone else interrupted him.

"Oh, isn't this touching?"

Sam, Dean, and the hell hounds turned and saw Ziggy and Gilt walking down the road.

"My Liege, you really shouldn't be near that mortal or those three mutts," Gilt said, making a tsk'ing sound when he noticed who Sam was sitting with.

Adam and Dog both leapt up and ran towards Ziggy. Ziggy frowned at them, before throwing them through the air with a wave of his hand. "Not today, you mutts. Our business is with our king."

Adam and Dog ended up on the road, neither moving.

"Adam! Dog!" Sam turned to the two demons, fire dancing around his finger tips. Agnes Nutter howled, long and soulful. Dean felt the hair on the back of his neck raise and wished he had thought to grab a gun out of the car. "You claim to be my demons—you have pledged your loyalty to me and yet you come and hurt others who are loyal to me?"

Gilt smiled, watching as the power Sam contained fluttered around him. "My Lord, to be the true Demon Messiah, you must let go of these… earthly possessions. Yes, these hell hounds are certainly demonic, but we have more powerful hell hounds in Hell. You can command the fiercest dogs ever."

"I do not want other hell hounds, I want mine. If you truly want to be my minions, you will go back to Hell and leave me alone!"

Dean was watching Gilt's reaction and he seemed to be enjoying how riled up Sam was, as if he was feeding off the power… Or testing how strong Sam truly was. Dean spared a glance at his brother and saw the power that was coming from his little brother in waves. "Sammy, dude, calm down. If these guys don't go back to Hell, we'll just exorcise their asses."

Dean's comment, along with Dog and Adam limping back to Sam's side, seemed to calm Sam down. Sam looked at Dean and he looked so tired. "I don't want minions. I don't want to be the Boy King of Hell. I just want to hunt with you and my dogs."

"You don't have that choice," Ziggy said, "You have been born for this role!"

"Yeah?" Dean said, stepping in front of his brother. "And I was born to send your ass back to Hell. Leave my brother alone."

Gilt looked at Dean, but Sam said one word that stopped him. "Don't."

Gilt bowed. "Of course, my Liege. But…"

Sam looked up at Gilt. "If you really want to serve me then you'll do my bidding and you'll tell the others this as well. Go back to Hell. Stay there. If I need you, I'll call. But only then. Just… stay there." Sam looked at Dean. "Can we go back to the hotel room?"

"Sure, Sammy. Get in the car." Dean said watching as his brother and his brother's hell hounds got into the Impala. He then turned to Gilt and Ziggy. "You better heed my brother's words 'cause if I see your asses anywhere near him, his dogs, or me, I will send your asses back to hell. Got it?"

Gilt and Ziggy tried to get one last look at Sam, but Dean stepped in front of them. Gilt nodded. "Tell your brother that we will eagerly await his next orders. Until then."

Dean waited until both Gilt and Ziggy were gone before he called 911 to get someone to pick up the two bodies that Gilt and Ziggy had possessed. He thought of the many things he could say to his brother as he sat down in the Impala—'Really, Sam. First hell hounds, now demons? What's next, a dragon?'—but then Dog growled at him and Dean decided that living another day sounded rather peachy. "Ready to go back to the hotel, Sammy?"

"Yeah… And, Dean, I'm sorry for not telling you…"

"Don't worry about it, Sammy. But seriously? Next time your little cult decides to kidnap you, can you have the decency to leave a note? Just a simple 'Off to become Anti-Christ. Will bring back lunch' will do."

"Oh, ha ha, Dean."

* * *

Gilt and Ziggy walked into another room, filled with demons. They all looked eagerly towards Gilt and Ziggy. Gilt spoke first. "He's not ready yet. He may never be ready. However, we will not abandon him! We will train diligently for the day that our Boy King is ready for us! We shall never let our attentions waver from our goal!"

A voice from the back popped up. "Hey! Satan's having a barbeque in the lower levels, let's go!"

As the room trickled out, mumbling excitedly to each other, Gilt decided they could prepare the troops some other day. This preparation would, in all probability, take place in a millennium because when Satan threw a party, he threw a party.


	5. Puppy Love

Title: Puppy Love

Author: Moonfairyhime

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own the lovely Winchester boys.

Characters: Sam, John, Dean, the Hell Puppies, two OCs (demons)

Summary: "I didn't realize I was Naming them, Dean." Although the comment was directed to Dean, John could not ignore the power or the capital letter Sam used in the word "naming".

Feedback: Please and thank you.

Author's Notes: Titled is borrowed from the song by Paul Anka. So, I once got a comment asking how John would react to Sam getting the hell hounds. This is that fic – it's basically an AU of an AU. It's also a little more serious than some of the other pieces I've written for this 'verse, as well as being a longer piece. Sam is 14 in this fic and Dean is 18. This is unbeta'ed, so all mistakes are mine.

* * *

"Dean, where's your brother?" John asked, getting back from his job as a mechanic. He had taken a day job when he and the boys moved to Farley, Iowa for the month. Although Dean was done with high school, Sam wasn't. John expected Dean to know where Sam was after school, because Dean always knew where his brother was. It was quarter to four – normally Sam would have been home fifteen minutes ago.

"I don't know. He was supposed to come straight home after school," the eighteen year old looked worried and was putting on his leather coat.

John grabbed his keys. "Let's go find him. You go on foot; I'll drive to the school and see if he left yet."

* * *

Sam walked home as quickly as he could. He knew he was late and that Dean was probably pacing by the front door of the house they were renting this month. It wasn't his fault – his gym teacher wanted to ask him—again—if he would be willing to joining the track team. Sam wasn't sure how to explain to the teacher that there was no sense in joining since he'd be gone by the end of the month, if not sooner. He heard a twig snap behind him and he quickly turned around. Sam exhaled when he realized there was no one behind him, shaking his head at himself and his jumpiness. He turned around and managed not to jump when he saw two people in front of him. Both the woman and the man appeared to be in their late twenties and when they realized they had Sam's attention, they both smiled at him. However, it was the man who spoke to Sam. "Hey, Sammy."

Sam narrowed his eyes, wishing that he hadn't ignored his father when he told Sam to take a knife to school with him. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled and took a step towards Sam. Although the smile on her face was meant to be reassuring, Sam was unsettled by its unnaturalness. "Oh, baby. We're your real parents. We've come to take you home with us."

Sam shook his head, taking a step back. "I don't think so. _Christo!_"

The man's eyes shifted from blue to black as he flinched. "Boy, I _do_ think so."

Sam took a step back, but the woman was behind him and she grabbed his arms. "Sorry, sweetheart. You're coming with us. We're going to be a family again. Baby, it's going to be us and the pups."

As Sam fought her hold, he saw his brother start down the block on the opposite side of the street. He wasn't sure if his brother could hear him or not, but he had to try and get his attention. "Dean! DEAN! HELP!"

The man glared at the woman when he saw Dean realize that something was happening and his baby brother was in the middle of it. He quickly knocked Sam out with a strong punch. "Dammit, Viola, couldn't you keep him quiet?!"

"Oh, do shut up, Rotherham. Go get the van."

"SAMMY! Let him go, you bastards!" Dean yelled as he came closer to them.

Viola turned to Dean and sneered as she held him in place with her telekinesis, cradling Sam in her arms. "Listen to me, boy. Your brother is ours. He's always been ours. Now you're going to let us take him and that's that."

Dean glared at her, fighting her hold. "Let my brother go, bitch!"

"I told you, boy. He's not yours. He's ours." A black van pulled up next to them and Viola put Sam into the backseat before getting in on the passenger side. "Ta-ta now."

Dean watched as the van barreled down the street. He felt the telekinetic hold break at the same time he heard the Impala, but the van was now out of sight and Dean didn't know where the demons had taken his brother. His dad was coming back and Dean wasn't quite sure how to explain what just happened.

* * *

"Are you sure he's the one?" Rotherham didn't sound too sure as he looked into the rearview mirror at the unconscious fourteen year old. Sam looked more like a four year old when asleep and while it was cute to John and Dean (not that they would never admit it), he didn't look very impressive to a demon.

Viola shrugged. "Azazel said that the youngest Winchester boy was the one he marked and had great faith in. Even you can't deny that you there's something – some power – that he will grow into one day. I can feel it buzzing underneath his skin. It has to be him – the prophesies say so. We'll find out for sure when we get him back to the house and introduce him to the puppies."

"True. If he isn't the Anti-Christ, the pups will just eat him."

* * *

When Sam woke up, he was in a room by himself. He was laying on a bed that was in the middle of the room – there were no windows or anything else in the room for him to use to escape. He gingerly sat up, rubbing his head. God, he had such a headache. He heard the door open and he turned and glared at it. Viola walked into the room, carrying a large basket with her. She sat down on the bed next to Sam, placing the basket at her feet. "Hey, baby. Glad to see you're up and okay."

Sam glared at her, sliding as far away from her as possible. "Stop calling me that! I'm Sam!"

Viola reached a hand out to brush Sam's bangs out of his face, but Sam flinched away from her. She looked hurt. "Sam, I would never hurt you. You're everything I ever hoped you'd be. But there's one more test you have to pass." Viola opened the basket and pulled out three squirming puppies. All three were black with red glowing eyes. One of the pups sneezed and fire erupted from his nose. In shock, the pup fell down on his butt. He then rubbed his nose with his paw before he and his siblings turned to Viola. They sniffed Viola, unconcerned by her. However, the smallest of them caught Sam's scent and she yipped happily and stumbled over to him. She started licking his face and the other two came over and demanded Sam's attention as well. Sam couldn't help but laugh as he petted the trio of puppies. Viola grinned widely, a look of adoration appearing in her black eyes. "Oh, you are the one! You will do such magnificent things!"

"What do you mean? What one do you keep talking about?" Sam pushed the puppies off him, staring at Viola.

"Oh, sweetheart. It's nothing you have to worry about right now. Just know that you, my dear, will do such wonderful things for us!"

"I'll never do anything for you!"

"Darling, never say never. I have to go now and spread the word that you have been found. I'm going to leave these hell puppies with you. They like you and you seem to like them."

Sam looked startled and stared at the puppies, all of whom were eagerly wagering their tails. "Hell puppy?"

Viola stood up and walked to the door. "Of course, Sammy. You didn't think hell hounds just spring into existence as a full-grown dog, did you? Of course not. They start off as puppies. These are hell puppies and they're yours. They'll protect you forever, darling. They'll keep you safe when Rotherham or I am unavailable. Now, rest, Sam. I know you have a headache from earlier. We'll bring you some supper in a little while."

* * *

Viola had sent Rotherham out for food for the child. Rotherham didn't understand what the human child would eat, but Viola had pushed him out the door and told him that pizza would suffice for Sam.

Of course, Viola had also said that Sam was the child they had been searching for, but Rotherham didn't believe it. To borrow a human cliché, he sneered to himself, he wouldn't believe it until he saw undeniable proof with his own eyes.

As Rotherham walked out of the restaurant, pizza in hand, he swore to himself as he saw a familiar black Impala at the gas station across the street. As he watched John and Dean talk to the gas station clerk, Rotherham wasn't sure how the Winchesters found Sam so quickly, but he would be damned (again) to let them take the child back so quickly or so easily.

* * *

Sam regarded the hell puppies, all of whom looked back at him, obviously wanting his attention. It really wasn't their fault that they were different from other dogs. They didn't seem to act like the hell hounds and black dogs that Sam had run across in hunts with his family. In a way, Sam thought sadly, they reminded Sam of himself. Just looking for a little understanding and a little love. Later, Sam would pinpoint this moment as the moment he fell in love with the hell puppies.

Sam looked at the biggest of the puppies and petted him. "Hello there, dog. You seem to be trapped here just like me." The dog licked Sam's cheek. Sam, who had been expecting to smell and feel hellfire and brimstone, was pleasantly surprised when the dog smelled and felt like a real, normal puppy. Sam smiled warmly at the puppy, who eagerly waged his tail. The other two pups clamored on top of Sam, demanding his attention. "I guess you all need names." Sam paused, thinking about some of the books he has been reading lately. He pointed to the only female dog. "How about Agnes Nutter for you?"

Agnes Nutter yipped happily in response and Sam considered the matter settled. He then turned to the smaller of the male dogs. "…Do you like Adam?"

Adam seemed to ponder the matter for a moment before yipping in response. Sam smiled at him before turning to the largest of the dogs. "I think I'll call you Terry."

The hell puppy snorted at him, literally shaking his head no. "Okay then. How about James?"

Another snort.

"…Fred?"

A snort followed by a rolling of the eyes. Sam wondered if this was how his dad felt when he was talking to Sam. "George?"

A tilt of the head that clearly said "Dude. Try again."

"Fluffy?" Sam asked, snidely.

The dog yawned, carefully showing all of his puppy teeth.

Sam thought back to the conversation he had with the biggest puppy. "You have got to be kidding me. You want to be called Dog?"

Dog yipped at Sam and Sam smiled at him, a little amazed by Dog, but before he could say anything else, the door to his room opened and Rotherham walked in.

"It's time to go." When Sam didn't get up fast enough, Rotherham went to grab his arm to force him up. All three hell puppies barred their teeth at the man and growled. Rotherham quickly aborted his attempt to touch Sam. Although hell puppies are nowhere near as fierce or lethal as hell hounds, they are still something that shouldn't be messed with. Sharp puppy teeth combined with no discipline could shred the skin and muscle of the arm of a host's body in five seconds flat.

Sam looked confused, but silenced all three puppies with a glance. A look of triumph flashed through Rotherham's eyes – Sam _was_ the one who the prophecies were about. His easy command of the hell puppies proved it to be so. "We have to go. Your brother and father are only a few blocks away. I don't know how they found us so quickly. Viola hasn't had enough time to let anyone know that you've been found, so we have to get your out of here and to somewhere safe. You're ours now."

Rotherham grabbed Sam's arm successfully this time and began to drag him from the room, the hell puppies crowding around Sam's feet. Sam, trying desperately to remember the full Latin exorcism, did the only thing he could think of. He shouted Christo and ran for it the second Rotherham was stunned by the name of God. The hell puppies quickly scampered after their new master, eager for an adventure with him.

* * *

It was because of Bobby that John and Dean even had a vague idea of where to find Sam. Bobby had heard reports of demonic activity two towns over from where the Winchesters were staying. A quick talk to a gas station attendant confirmed that people who matched the demon's description were living in a house on the outskirts of town. It had to be where Sam was – John couldn't even begin to imagine what he would do if his baby boy wasn't there. John was afraid of what _Dean_ would do if they didn't find Sam soon. His oldest boy was kicking himself for not being able to save Sam when the demons nabbed him. Although John didn't blame him – he himself had been at the wrong end of a demon's telekinesis and knew how hard it was to break free from the feeling of cold, dark evil holding you in place – that didn't stop Dean for blaming himself.

The fear of what could be happening to Sam right now caused John to push ever hard on the gas pedal. He needed to get to his youngest. He didn't know what the demons wanted with Sam, but John knew it was nothing good.

* * *

When Dean and John pulled up to t abandoned house on the outskirts of town, the last thing they expected was to see Sam come bursting out of the house with three puppies on his heels. When he saw his father and brother, the teenager all but flew into his big brother's arms. "DEAN!"

Dean eagerly caught his younger brother. "I gotcha, Sammy. You're okay now."

John was about to ask what was going on, but two demons appeared at the door of the house his son had just vacated. Dean pushed Sam behind him while the three pups growled at the demons. John cocked the shotgun in his hands. "You! What do you want with my son?!"

The woman cackled. "Your son, John? I don't think so. He will be ours. You may keep him for now, but he will be ours in the end."

John opened his mouth to begin an exorcism, but the demons vacated their hosts in plumes of black smoke. John walked up to the hosts and shook his head – both where dead. He would have to salt and burn the bodies later. He turned his attention back to his boys. Dean had finally released Sam and was looking at him and the three puppies sitting by his feet.

"Who are your friends, Sammy?" Dean was trying to appear charming and disarming because the one puppy definitely seemed ready to rip him to shreds with the slightest signal from Sam. Dean was a little unnerved by the red, glowing eyes staring at him.

"That's Adam, Agnes Nutter, and Dog." Sam said, as he pointed to each of the puppies as he named them. "They're my hell puppies."

John managed to stop himself from snorting in surprise and checking to see if his son was possessed. "_Your_ hell puppies?!"

Sam looked defiantly at his father. "They'll grow into hell hounds, but I promise you that they won't cause any trouble, Dad! They listen to me really well."

Dean decided to ignore the obvious comment and go with a big brother reply. "Dog. Really, Sammy. That's a dumbass name." Dean didn't look impressed at all with Sam's choice in names for any of the hell puppies. The one called Dog growled at him and Dean smiled at him and took a step back.

"I didn't realize I was Naming him when I called him that, Dean." Although the comment was directed to Dean, John could not ignore the power or the capital letter Sam used in the word "naming". There was a look in Sam's eyes that John had never seen before and never wanted to see again. It was the look of someone who had survived and thrived for millennia. The look of an old soul who had seen much death and had somehow lived to fight another day; the look of someone who knew that the future was bringing him opportunities to do great and possibly terrible deeds.

Then Sam blinked and all John saw was his tired fourteen year old son looking at him with Mary's eyes. Mary's baby boy. Mary who took secrets about herself and Sam to her grave. John took a step towards Sammy and one of the dog's hackles – Agnes Nutter's? – rose. Sam shushed her with a look. John sighed, not sure if he even wanted to broach this topic. "Sam, you know we can't bring them with us."

Four sets of puppy dog eyes stared at John. "But, Dad… I promise that they'll be good! I told you, I can control them! I'll walk them everyday and clean up after them and feed them… well, I don't think they need food, but I'll make sure they don't attack anyone!" Sam nodded enthusiastically, puppy dog eyes at their sincerest.

"Sam," John started, but he noticed all three pups staring at him and John wasn't sure what they could do – _would _do – to keep Sam with them.

Dean looked at Sam and then John. "Dad, maybe we should go with it. I'm not sure we can separate them. Besides, I'm not sure what three hell puppies could do on their own with no master to control them, but I know it's not good."

John nodded in agreement and watched as Sam knelt down to play with his puppies. John was perturbed – what did it mean that his son could so easily control hell hounds? What did the demons want with his son? Dean smiled as Sam laughed out loud when Dog tugged on his sleeve, tail wagging. John sighed. It was obviously something to worry about, but for now, his son was happy – something that was happening less and less as Sammy got older – and safe. So perhaps he could worry about this latest mystery concerning his youngest another day.


End file.
